Dancer's Song
by Tara Jane
Summary: This is a continuation of the Fire Dancer's Series by Ann Maxwell. Rheba, a Fire Dancer, and Kirtn, her male Bre'n mentor, are searching for survivors from a massive solar-flare that wiped out their home planet. Rumor on the ship is that a female Bre'n was seen escorted unconsious by an armed guard at a space port not far away. Will Kirtn dare to hope for his species?
1. Chapter 1 Bad Things Come In Threes

CHAPTER 1 BAD THINGS COME IN THREES

_The Earth Quakes_

The ground was urgent, insistent. It was almost as if tremors from an earthquake were flowing under the surface of the world. Nalu could feel the earth's fear. His Dancer instincts twinged at every vibration the earth made, as if it cried in terror. The forest was a beautiful picture of tranquility but beneath it surged, deep down, in the heart of Mother Nature. If Nalu looked closely, he could see the tiny flowers in amongst the tree moss shiver in the sun.

Svara gripped him painfully by the shoulder, "What could be causing this Nalu? I've never felt such unease." Svara, Nalu's Bre'n partner, was more concerned than he had ever seen her. Her usual serenity had disappeared over the last few days. Tall for her species, Svara was covered in pale gold, suede like fur. Her mask of rich apricot fuzz framed her face in such a way that she always appeared relaxed and confident, but lately all that had changed. Svara no longer shimmered as a healthy Bre'n should, which told Nalu that these unusual vibrations were affecting her deeply. Although they had not mentioned the ripples to each other, they had both felt a growing unease in their world and worried about what that meant for it's people.

"I had a dream last night Svara…I am not sure this heat wave is seasonal. Our world is behaving like a mother in deep peril. Can't you feel her crying?" Nalu held his hand out to the breeze and curled his fingers around it like it was a lock of hair, bending it to his will. Squeezing his eyes on a single tear Nalu clenched his fist.

"Not as strongly as you do my dancer, but yes…I feel her tears," Svara replied.

Carefully, Nalu undid the fabric binding his long dark hair and crouched down to press his hands to the ground, closing his eyes. Slowly, feeling for the waves within the earth, he began to draw out small wisps of energy into his palms, pushing and weaving it into his long hair. Feeling each tremor like a heartbeat he drew as much as he could safely. Nalu's hair slowly began to rise as more energy poured in; weightless as a feather it crackled with power and purpose. Storing it here in his hair, instead of in his body, helped him to sleep at night. Nalu believed in his sleep.

The forest was green with life and a warm breeze was rustling the leaves of the earthen floor. Nalu and Svara were standing on a small rise in the earth, looking out on great valley of trees, hundreds of years old. Fruits and nuts hung from their branches, ripe and juicy, where nearby a river flowed through the forest, rushing over the land. Weeks ago there would have been creatures of many different types and colours up in these trees and out on the plains to the east, but now, the unseasonal weather seemed to have made sightings of these wonderful creatures scarcer.

Overlooking the forest was a huge city, a city which lived harmoniously with the earth and as such continued to nurture the forest and the land through each generation of Akhenet pairings. The buildings were made to complement the land, some made of wood, some made of materials only Deva could provide. Each building was connected and each home was connected to the forest. Many homes were built on the fringes of the trees, balconies dripping with vines, fat fruit hanging from them. The people lived simply at home, but were a highly technologically advanced society at work. Their energy sources were powerful cores of light and their interstellar travel was like nothing the universe had seen before. A ship could be tuned to its pilot's DNA and as such could provide the sort of care that most ship's facilities could not.

Deva society was made up of two species: Senyasi and Bre'n. They worked together to tune and focus a Dancer's power for the better of their world. Svara was Nalu's partner; they had long ago ceased to be student and mentor. Nalu had proven to be sterile at a young age and his hope of having children had vanished overnight. He spent many dark years nursing his desolation and pushing the ones he loved away, until Svara had lost patience with him and had begun to go into _Rez:_ a berserker state that kills Bre'n and Dancer together. It took one single kiss to break her slide into _Rez_, and they had been inseparable ever since.

Svara's back was to the city, her golden eyes searching the forest worriedly for anything that would spark the oncoming of a disaster. She was trained to feel out her surroundings like a taught wire would feel a drum beat. Looking down at her Dancer she noticed the light from the sun touching his hair as it trembled with energy. His black glossy hair rippled as if it was a still pond, struck by a drip of water from up above; a flower filled with water from a summer shower. He was lithe and strong, a tall man of eight and twenty years. His skin was olive, his mouth sensuous and he was _all mine_, she thought.

With Dancer discipline, Nalu finished his Dance and slowly rose. Dimming the light from his hands, he absently scratched the fresh Akhenet lines of power which had etched new curls around his thumbs.

"I can't store much of this type of vibration, it is much too elemental. Perhaps we should speak to the council. I'm not convinced that this is a simple natural occurrence my love."

Svara nodded silently and pulled a lock of his hair to her check, smiling as tendrils danced along her lips and hummed against her face. Together they stood on the rise and watched the sun set. Whatever was coming was coming fast but Svara was not confident they could survive it. Looking sideways at Nalu from under her golden lashes, she felt her heart beat painfully fast. _I will protect you_, she vowed secretly, and turning north, led her Sonic Dancer home.

_Throw of the Dice_

The Devalon's inhabitants flowed into the control room nervously chattering with tension and excitement. The room crackled with expectancy as the ship's computer whirred into life. Rheba pressed herself against the back wall with Fssa nestled in her hair, an intelligent sonic-mimic species called Fssireemes.

Glancing around the room her heart swelled with pride at how many people she had managed to save from slavery. She didn't know these people very well, but they knew her. She was their savior, their hope, their protector, but they didn't all see her that way. She was also a terrifying species of fire and smoke, who could burn down large buildings simply from losing her temper. Pulsating with Akhenet lines, she could burn away her clothes until she was a woman of hot gold whose footsteps were black with ash. It didn't matter to Rheba that they feared her a little: She had her Bre'n. He would never fear her and that was more important to her than a ship crammed full of thankful slaves.

When the room was finally full, and the entrances crowded with anxious faces, Kirtn initiated the lottery sequence with a curt Bre'n whistle. Turning from the console, his eyes locked with Rheba's from across the room. He could feel her energy like sporadic flares of warmth, which told him that his little fire dancer was uneasy. Pushing his way through the group he made his way over to stand beside his protégé.

The crowd held their breath and the children drew quiet as the lottery slowed. Everyone was watching the monitor with intense focus, a sea of lips mouthing a prayer. Rheba leant into her Bre'n mentor with a sigh. "Kirtn, what if this next planet is like the last one?" she whispered. "I don't wish to give up on these people, I made a promise, it's just…I'm so afraid of putting everyone in danger again, especially Lheket and Ilfn." Lheket and Ilfn were the first Akhenet survivors that Rheba and Kirtn had seen since escaping the raging inferno of their home planet. They were a precious discovery: a male Weather Dancer and his female Bre'n Mentor. If they were indeed the last two pairings of their race, then at least they could ensure the survival of the species through offspring. Lheket was too young for that now, but someday Rheba knew she would do her duty.

Kirtn absently stroked her arm, lines of power glowing faintly under his fingers. Rheba had vowed to return all the slaves back to their homes when she and Kirtn had destroyed the Loo-Chim Slavers. This had proven to be no small task and had almost killed the Fire Dancer and her Bre'n. They were only seven planets into the 23 they had to visit and Rheba was fretting about the next trip downside. "I understand how you feel Rheba and it's not your fault, but we swore to undergo this task. Ilfn has her young Dancer under total control and continues his training. You have already assigned the J/Taal mercenaries to her and Lheket. I'm sure they are as safe as we can make them under the circumstances."  
"I know it can't be helped Kirtn but I just wish there was an easier way. We are all so cramped onboard this ship and I don't know how much longer everyone can tolerate it."  
Rheba looked around at the control room's walls and marveled at its strength. The Devalon hadn't aged a day since she first stepped inside. With smooth glass-like pearlescent walls with a glow to light the room, the Devalon was a work of art and no two ships were the same. It was a relic from her history and she would never part with it.

The Devalon chimed a selection, prompting Fssa to begin his small task onboard the ship. Kirtn reached over and took the scalding hot snake in his hands. The Fssireeme made a flatulent noise as he turned into a cobalt blue shape with gold and green dishes of three different sizes. He translated their next location in a complex series of languages for the diverse crowd, making the sounds come from all around the room in perfect pitch and tone. The crowd began chattering again, disappointment clear in their voices; everybody was anxious to return to their home planets.

Fssa changed shape back to his usual form as Kirtn carefully adjusted him around Rheba's neck. "So where are we off to snake?"  
"It is a place I haven't heard of before. They call it Agora Spaceport. I do not think it is a very law abiding space station but the general chatter amongst the slaves is of a positive nature," replied Fssa as he settled back into the warmth of Rheba's fiery hair.  
"Good, then perhaps we can make the drop and continue onto the next planet quickly." Rheba's eyes began to itch. "Oh no," she groaned. "Stop it Itch, I get it! We won't be quick about it." A cool soothing feeling washed around behind her eyes. "Ahhhhhh, I gather that was the right answer then." Another wave of coolness washed behind her eyes. Itch was a fifth person, otherwise known as a ghost, which had inhabited Rheba's body on the last planet they were on. Rheba was not sure she could tolerate such an irritating visitor, for too much longer.

Pursing her lips, Rheba absently rubbed her shoulder where her Akhenet lines were healing. "I'll be glad when we finish dropping off slaves and start looking for Akhenet Survivors again." A sad Bre'n whistle escaped Fssa as he too longed to rejoin his own species. Fssa's race was forgotten from current knowledge sources after hundreds of years, but the small snake still hoped.

As the last stragglers left the control room, a small girl with dark skin pulled away from her father, pointing at Kirtn with her small hands and uttering words in a language that Senyasi and Bre'n did not understand. Crouching down to look the girl full in the face, Rheba reached out to hold one of her tiny hands. "Snake can you understand what she is saying?" she whispered anxiously.  
"Can a Fire Dancer start a fire?" said an offended Fssa. Part of the snake's tail shifted into what looked like a bowl, and he began smugly translating the little girl's words to Rheba and Kirtn in Senyas.

The girl's father stepped forward to put his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "I am sorry Fire Dancer, but my daughter does not know Common. She only speaks the language of her late mother who died on the Slave Planet L-"  
"-Kirtn!" Rheba interrupted, "She has seen a golden furry like you…" Turning to her Bre'n, eyes shining with hope, she grinned foolishly. "You are very golden you know." Smiling back, Kirtn turned to the man. "Have you also seen this furry? It is very important to us that we find out who this furry might be or where they came from."

A little surprised, the man replied, "Yes I have, only briefly though. We saw a large female just like yourself, as we boarded our ship a few months ago. We were still travelling when we were captured by the Slavers…the rest you already know." Anxiously he turned to Rheba. "Can you understand what my daughter is saying Fire Dancer?" the man asked eagerly. "There are few that know the Troskinian language anymore." Rheba stood up and looked up at this man, needing to find out more about the Bre'n that his daughter may have seen, but well aware that he too had lost almost as much as she. Her hair hot like lava, fanned out from her face, crackling as her excitement rose. Kirtn ran his fingers through it to smooth it down, immune to her scalding heat and remind his young Dancer that she was to control her emotions, lest she burn them to ash and gone.  
"I have not heard the Troskinian language myself. I do however know the expression for furry in most languages," Rheba smiled sympathetically.  
Looking down at his daughter he sighed. "I haven't been able to thank you properly until now. You saved my daughter from a life of slavery. Perhaps you will meet this furry when we arrive at our home. I will be happy to give you a place to stay whilst you search. My name is Kai and my Daughter's name is Eva. Thank you for saving our lives."  
As he turned to leave with his small daughter in tow, Kirtn put his hand on Kai's shoulder momentarily, trying not to spook him as Kirtn was a very large male, even by Bre'n standards. "Kai please, tell us which planet is yours?"  
Kai looked back at them, a little puzzled. "Planet? No, it's better than a planet…Agora Spaceport is our home." Swinging Eva up into his arms, Kai left Rheba and Kirtn stunned with a spark of hope.

_7 Hours_

Pulling into port, Lewis' usual expert landing was a jittery and hurried _thunk_. He began madly flicking switches and fumbling with his harness as he called his vessel number into the Telcom. Checking his tracker was engaged; Lewis picked the hand sized unit up and popped it down into his inside jacket pocket. With barely contained excitement, Lewis strode out of the pit and jumped down the short ladder to the deck where Grant was lifting the cargo hatch. "Home safe man! I can't believe the stunt you pulled out there! I'd say you were crazy, but it all worked out in the end eh?"  
Eyes shining, Lewis looked over at his friend as he bent to un-strap the ration containers. Grant smiled over at him. "I was only lucky. Although, if it had of been you negotiating with that alien ship you would have pissed yourself stupid!"

Lewis amusedly shook his head, his golden hair swinging, whilst he got on with preparing the cargo for removal. "Tease me all you like Grant my friend, but it was me who insisted we check that quadrant I recall." Pausing momentarily he let out an anxious sigh, "We still have 7 hours before the thing arrives and there's no guarantee that our towing horse will make it."  
"Don't forget Lewis, we don't own it until its current residents make it back here…or at least what's left of them." A slight chill fell over the two men, causing them to pause in their work.  
"I want to know what happened to them…but then again…looking at that thing…I'm not sure I do want to know…" Breathing out slowly, Lewis tried to suppress his active imagination.

The two men were snapped out of their somber mood when a pair of heavily heeled boots stomped up the hatch ramp. "Good morning lads!" the port steward waved to them. Dressed in a rich blue tunic he stood out against the gunmetal grey of the hull. "I see old Sunny is still running well. I hear you have some exceptional cargo to store in warehouse 5, but unless I'm going blind, there isn't enough to fill even warehouse 24!" the steward chuckled amusedly as he gazed around at the mediocre stash of salvaged bits and pieces.  
"We won't need it for another 7 hours yet old man. We have a tow horse bringing back our loot you see." The two men smirked sideways at each other like a couple of schoolboys with a toad.  
"All right then," the Steward waved them off. "Just be sure to pay in advance or the boss will have my hide." Turning, the man carefully picked his way back down the ramp, smiling at the floor of a well used hatch. Such mischievous looks, he thought. Those two have found something big!

_6 Hours away, a huge pearlescent vessel is being pulled towards the spaceport of Agora City. Eerily quiet, it drifts towards a new unpredictable future against the backdrop of the endless black. The front is smooth like glass, but its hull is like charred black metal after an explosion. Large black tears in the hull mar the ships once majestic outer shell. The bloated bodies of an alien race drift around inside…a horror story from the stars. Hidden deep inside the dark ship, down a corridor, through an arch, within the inner circle sealed in tight, a life sparks an oxygen monitor and a body sits and waits._

Lewis slung his pack over one shoulder as he took the back streets home. He was too anxious to take the more direct route, right through the Dodec and all the people that haggled there. Walking with his thoughts, he watched his boots eat up the ground beneath him. He had been a pilot all his life and had been born in space. At the age of two and thirty he had a small dwelling in a good part of town, working as a Class B scavenger. His mother always said that his blonde hair and blue eyes could get him far but he was sure that his current employment was not the course of action that she had meant for him to take.

Lewis considered himself an entrepreneur of all things mechanical and was uncannily good at finding small parts of debris that were worth a good hundred credits back at port. On his last trip he had discovered a huge ship, 20 times larger than his own, in a quadrant quite far from Agora. It was pure luck that he had chosen to go that far. Grant's scavenger route had proven to be a fair waste of time and Lewis, in a small fit of frustration, had driven them off course to investigate a drifter on the edge of the scanner.

The men had eventually discovered an enormous spaceship unlike anything they had ever seen before. Failing communications with the ship, they had a victory drink to toast their new found riches. Lewis had received quite a shock when he was alerted by a faint S.O.S. signal, barely audible, over his Telcom. The large ship must have been programmed to signal help automatically. There was no telling how long it had been drifting for.

Attempting to talk to the ship was almost impossible. It insisted on a safe place to release the residents on board but Grant and Lewis couldn't see how putting that many dead bodies onboard their little scavenger ship could be a smart idea. Instead, in accordance with custom and with Grant's greedy footwork, they were able to cut a bargain with the smart ship. They would release all the residents of this huge death trap to the closest city in return for the remains of the massive vessel before them.

Lewis cut off his reminiscing and patted his jacket pocket as he walked. _Six hours until show and tell_, he thought. Running his fingers through his hair he looked up at Agora Spaceport's sky. He could see the constellations that he grew up with as a boy and thought of his life as a child. _I'm going to have a lot of money after that ship is sold. _Walking behind the structured houses down the alley way that ran parallel to the circular centre or Dodec, Lewis strode on, his mind surging with nervous anticipation and excitement.


	2. Chapter 2 Blinks In Time

CHAPTER 2 BLINKS IN TIME

Asura slunk into the corner of the tavern, watching the patrons of The Sunflower as they drank to their merriment, sloshing beer over their fellows and throwing insults at each other. _What a pitiful existence_, she thought. _They can't even stand upright._ Breathing quietly, she slowly crossed her long slender legs, splitting the dress she wore all the way up to her hip. She was silently mapping out how she could kill each filthy human in the room to keep her entertained as she waited when quietly, from the front door, a tall figure slithered her way into the bar. No one noticed her except Asura: she had been waiting.

The woman had a long grey dress on, barely covering what was obviously a lean, snake like body underneath. It hung around her neck in folds, the fabric hitching on the nipples of her small firm breasts, leaving her back bare down to the top of her round luscious ass. She shimmered a little as light reflected from a complicated pattern of scales that curved across her throat and up around her eyes. The two women looked at each other as the new arrival made her way over to Asura's table.

It was no organised meeting, nor complete chance that these women met here at The Sunflower. Together they sat facing each other, not a word spoken and blinked simultaneously. Asura looked at the woman through her own black eyes and saw herself. The same curling scalic pattern circled both women's eyes. The same scales curled intricate markings down their spines and beneath their navels, the same dress even. If Asura had a twin, this woman would be it, but in Asura's case, she was both women. Four eyes, four ears, four hands: Asura had two bodies.

_The alien ship hasss been located and He is ready to begin_. _Where are_ _the humansss?_She thought to her other self as she silently viewed the crowd after coming into the tavern from out in the cold night air.  
Asura's eyes darted over to the three men playing cards and drinking beer over in front of the bar. She had seen them come in an hour ago and had listened to the conversation she would make sure they wished they hadn't had. She could smell the fear on them like the waft of a meaty BBQ. She could smell the fear of every life form in the room. It was pure instinct to fear her kind. A dragon was the ultimate predator and Asura's heritage was indeed fearsome, regardless of their twin appearance. Stepping away from the shadows, she silently stalked the three men. The two women stepped lightly and quickly, like a dragonfly. Undetectable almost, the crowd let her through unnoticed.

"How long do you think she's going to make us wait here for?!" the burly man slammed his large meaty fist on the table. "I'm thirsting for a drink and tired of waiting for that bitch to show," he grumbled dangerously.

"Loki, if you don't quiet down you're going to get us killed!" A tall slim man dropped a large jug of black beer down in front of Loki and sat opposite him. "I'm sure the lady will show up soon enough and give us orders. Until then, drink your beer and shut your mouth." He sipped his beer and watched Loki from under his brows. Loki growled and snatched up his jug.

"I don't trust her Simon. She's Saurian Right? Like a lizard. What kind of a woman is that? She's no humanoid that's for sure," voiced their small companion on the opposite side of Loki.

Simon shifted his gaze over to Brom who was nervously shuffling cards. "She is a Saurian, what is there to trust? Her race does not distinguish between right and wrong." Simon paused a little for effect. "It is only sensible to be afraid of a dragon. Unpredictable foes are the most frightening and if you had half the sense that a boy your age does, you wouldn't be here." Brom's white face flushed with anger.

Loki chuckled, "A Saurian is not driven by greed or hate, so their movements are very difficult to predict. A seasoned fighter knows these things Brom." He drained the last of his beer and wiggled it suggestively at Simon. "Do not be ruffled by Simon's taunts. It only serves him as entertainment. WOMAN!" he hollered, catching the attention of a passing waitress, "I'll have another dark beer thanks love!"

Looking around at the crowd gathering inside The Sunflower Tavern, Simon began shuffling his cards and dealing a game of Trader Poker, "We can only wait boys, the Lady is never late."

Brom stopped mid-sip, wide eyed, staring at two tall, scantily clad women. A wild sexual thrill ran down into his stomach as his mind reeled at the whiplash of fear crippling his swallowing reflex. It took some time before Simon had noticed the gawking young idiot. With a swift backhand, he slapped some sense into Brom.  
"Don't be a fool boy! That is the Guardian! The Lady! Stare any longer and she will take your eyes out with one of her black claws!"  
Brom, shocked and embarrassed, dropped his eyes to the drink in his hands, which was shaking slightly from the full instinctual force within him. Loki and Simon stood as the Lady approached their table.

"Good Evening Guardian," spoke Loki rather gruffly. "Would you like a quiet drink whilst we talk?"  
Asura blinked at Loki, "What would I drink thisss abominable slush you call beer for? It servesss only to alter your mind, make you slow, makesss you more ssstupid," emphasizing the "more" as if to entail how stupid he already was. "I would rather cut out my eyesss," she spit out, "than drink that foul smelling stuff."  
"Suit yourself," he muttered and sat back down with a thud, draping his huge muscular frame across the back of his chair. Simon gestured for Asura to take the seat beside him as one of the two women stood on his other side, beside Brom, as she was obviously enjoying the younger man's inner turmoil of fear and lust.

Gracefully seating herself in the chair, Asura's eyes turned to Simon, both women turning slightly, blinking sideways simultaneously the two women spoke together:  
"This should be easssy. There is a ship being towed here to the spaceport. My Master wants it," she paused, looking directly at each other in thought. "My Master _suggestss_ that it be replaced with a more suitable ship, a wreckage perhapsss. Bring the towed ship back to the Research Facilities private Port Warehouse. Do so discreetly and I can reward you with a small fortune: Enough to upgrade your living arrangements to the outer rim and perhaps more."

Listening in silence, Loki and Simon stared directly at each other. They had been thieves for a long time and had worked together since adolescence. The Lady's offer was more than they had ever had, more than 10 years of hard work saving and scrounging their credits. Loki winked at Simon and Simon grinned back. "That's a hefty sum for just a ship. Must be pretty special." Looking up from under his glasses he glanced at Asura, "I mean, what if we just made sure there was nothing inside it of value for you, as a courtesy of course." Asura's hand came down hard atop his, her long black fingernails digging into the wooden table as her palm pressed down on his knuckles. Face white he gasped at the shooting pain in his hand, bones crunching. Asura let out a loud hiss, face contorted into an ugly mask of hate. Loki had jumped up to defend his friend when Asura's other body had slammed him back into his chair, breaking his arm with a deft twist and coming dangerously close to slitting his throat with her clawed fingers. All this had transpired in an instant, Brom hadn't even had time to blink. Shivering violently he sat paralysed by fear. Looking around for help he realised the crowd were ignoring them, trying hard not to get involved with the Saurian and her subjects.


End file.
